New series, The Beauty of Books, features the Codex Sinaiticus

One of the world's oldest Bibles, the Codex Sinaiticus - which includes the first complete text of the New Testament - featured last week in a new BBC4 series exploring 'the love affair we have with books'. The four-part series, The Beauty of Books, focusses on works from the British Library's collection, from the oldest bound books to modern paperbacks. The Codex Sinaiticus was created in the 4th century and remains astonishingly well preserved. The programme attracted over 460,000 viewers, an impressive number for the BBC's speciality arts channel. For UK residents, The Beauty of Books: Ancient Bibles can still be seen on BBC iPlayer. To find out more about the series, or to view this episode click here. This week's episode - broadcast on BBC4 at 8.30pm on 14 February - addresses the Medieval period and features The Luttrell Psalter and The Canterbury Tales, both available as Folio limited edition facsimiles.

A facsimile of the Codex Sinaiticus has been published by Hendrickson Publishers and is available to Folio Society members at a substantial discount - you can find out more about it here.